Simply Red - Stars

Stars is the fourth studio album by British pop-soul group Simply Red, originally released in September 1991 via EastWest Records.

Simply Red are a British soul and pop band which has sold more than 50 million albums since the mid 1980s. The lead singer of the band is the singer/songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band was disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. At the 1992 and 1993 Brit Awards, they received the award for Best British Group. The group re-formed in 2015.

Simply Red, by the ‘90s ,were without doubt one of the UK’s best known soul/R&B groups, with a string of top selling singles and three albums that faithfully recreated black music from the 1960s and early 70s. Front man Hucknall had grown concerned that the band’s sound was trapped in this era, and for Stars looked for something fresh and original that still maintained the vital link with the past. This led to Japanese drummer/programmer Gota Yashiki, who’s mix of organic and computer generated rhythms proved to be a masterstroke, making for a greater dance orientation and a more contemporary imprint on the recording. The indelibly positive results can be found on the superb opener, “Something Got Me Started”, which combines the white hot rhythm with Fritz McIntyre’s astutely rolling piano accompaniment.

Hucknall’s other major decision was to ensure that every song was an original composition, further illustrating his wish to relinquish ties with the past. The production is polished, punchy on the dance numbers, smooth and considered when the tempo drops, never instrumentally confusing or upstaging the central feature which is of course Mick Hucknall’s iconic vocal performance.

Producer Stuart Levine would say, “Great records are easy to make if you’ve got great songs to work with”, and on the whole the simplicity in the sentiment is justified in much of the material on Stars.

The album went on to be the biggest seller in the UK for 1991 and 1992. The title track is a sparkling soul/pop single, with a beautifully harmonic multi tracked chorus. “Thrill Me” contains more of the intentional modern beats, and “For Your Babies” is a delicious ballad, partly inspired by the birth of a first child to manager Elliot Rashman.

Ultimately though, it’s Hucknall’s voice that stands out as an instrument of genuine warmth, sweet passion and perfect pitch. Stars combines this huge musical asset to the best set of songs he’s ever delivered.

Stars peaked at #1 on the UK, #7 on the Australian and #76 on the US Billboard 200 Albums charts.

This album is a 2021 limited edition reissue on transparent blue coloured vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve, pressed in Europe via Warner Music UK.